Estimation of fluctuating magnetic fields by an atomic magnetometer

Abstract

We present a theoretical analysis of the ability of atomic magnetometers to estimate a fluctuating magnetic field. Our analysis makes use of a Gaussian state description of the atoms and the probing field, and it presents the estimator of the field and a measure of its uncertainty which coincides in the appropriate limit with the achievements for a static field. We show by simulations that the estimator for the current value of the field systematically lags behind the actual value of the field, and we suggest a more complete theory, where measurement results at any time are used to update and improve both the estimate of the current value and the estimate of past values of the B-field.